Plant for the reduction and smelting of ores.



E. D. KENDALL.

PLANT FOR THE REDUCTION AND SMBLTING OF omzs.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14, 191 1.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

the chemical reduction and ldil fililllllllg in) EDWARD Kl. GE ELIZABETH, 11E??? T. HAQGIN, OF ULOSTEE, NEW JERSEY, AND E-ll'filhldlll'tlilll? V. lrliuuuiol HGWIQEQH, OF NEW YQRK, N. Y1, AND H. ESE. HQKILER, I lliIQIQ'TClLAIEt, l

JAIE EES' MGGIDI,

J, ASSQ PLMT EWBE THE 3.2211311165413131? MHZ) SIMIEEiTINE-t 431's Specification of Letters Patent.

mama-mm Patented Elli,

Application filed July 14;, $9M. Serial Ito. 850,350.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, EDWARD D. KENDALL, of Elisabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Plants for the lie duction and Smelting of Ores, of which the following is a specification.-

y improvements relate to plants for the chemical reduction of ores of the lesser metals and for the smelting of the same and the objects of my invention are to provide means to render practicable and to facilitate smelting of metalliferous ores, particularly ores of iron, when in comminuted condition and to render practicable the continuous operation of the processes of reduction and smelting. I attain these objects by the improvements illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l is a vertical section of furnace constructed to include'my improvements; 1F ig. 2 a cross section of part of this furnace at right angle to the drawing in Fig. l; and Fig. 3 an enlarged cross section of a part of the plant shown in'Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The walls of a furnace are shown at A, A; this furnace may have any suitable IfOllIl- As shown in the drawings it has an inner lining of fire-brick, B, at its lower part and within that fire-brick lining a. lining, C, of hard refractory material, such as a mixture of quartz and, fire clay, or a suitable sandstone, or bauxite, forming the hearth of the furnace.

Within the furnace, and exposed to the escaping products of combustion and the heat thereof, is a conduit, D, formed of Wrought iron, or other suitable material, which conducts comminuted ore mixed with carbon, or carbonaceous reducing agent, (and, when requireiwith fiuxing materiel) to the hearth of the furnace, this mixture of ore and carbon, with or Without flux, being supplied from the bin F to a branch pipe from the conduit D and discharged from the lower end of the conduit, either continuously or inter'mittingly, as required, the discharge bein governed by means of the sliding valve VJhile the conduit D is intended to conduct a mixture of ore and rea smelting.

burner, L; by Whit? ducing agent to the hearth of the furnace any proportion of flux-4.1 or when rcqu1recl-rnay be added to the said mixture,

although the presence of inning material tends to prevent that intimate contact of ore J. Rrgidly attached to the pipe H, and at short distances apart, are a sullicient number ofhcods like K, 18:, preferably made of sheet iron, and under each of these hoods, and near the upper part thereof, is an opening into the pipe H.

The furnace may so constructed as to be adapted for any required and suitable source of heat: As shown in the drawing, Fig. 52/, the heat is supplied by a liquiclfuel h, in order to produce great heat, petroleum may be sprayed by heated compressed air. course a furnace may he so constructed as to use e. number of such burners.

Referring to Fig. with a. conduit, N, having a sliding valve, 0, near its lower end which opens a short dis tance above the hearth E. The purpose of this condui. 8 to deliver, as required, to the hearth of the furnace, a. supply of tuning material from. the bin M. Of course a number of conduits such as D and. N may be contained within or connected with a suitably constructed furnace. The opening at connects with the stack.

The operation of this plant do ends largely on the fact that'certain meta liferous ores, particularly ores of iron, when in intimate contact with reducing agents are reduced or partially reduced to the metallic state at comparatively low temperatures: Often the applicant has so reduced ncn-siliceted ferric oxide to metallic iron at H3311 peratures not exceeding 4l00-4l50 In operating this plant dry ore, in granularcondition, is to be thoroughly mixed with a surplus of carbon or carbonaceous material, preferably similar form, and this 1: A bin, M, connects mixture supplied to the conduit D from the bin F, the sliding valve G having been closed. The conduit N is similarly supplied with fluxing material from the bin M. The hearth, E,'of the furnace is then tobe gradwill raised to a high temperature by means of t e burner (or burners) L, and after a time, determined by experience, the valves (i and Care opened to an extent and for a sullicient time to supply to the hearth E, from the conduit 1), a charge of the iron ore, now entirely or partially reduced to the metallic state, mixed with surplus carbon, while a proportionate quantity of flux from the conduit N is added to form the charge X. Under continued intense heat the iron is can bureted and fused and is to be drawn from the furnace through the opening S, While-the slag flows out through the opening T. Under favorable conditions as to ores, reducin agents, readily fusible fluxes and regulatetemperatures the operation of this plant may be continuous.

During the chemical reduction oithe ores under heat large volumes of fixed gases are rapidly generated and these gases could not find egress through a long column of granu lar material-could only transude through a stratum/of such material of limited height or thickness; it is necessary that the conduit D shall extend to a considerable height within the furnace and flue and that the greater part of its length shall be subjected to heat in order that its descending contents shall be gradual]. and suiiiciently heated and for a suliicient ength of time; the hoods, K, iii, shield openings in the pipe H which are placed at such short distances apartthat only comparatively small bodies of the cornminuted contents of the conduit PD oppose the escape ot the generated gases through the said openings and these-gases treel. es-

caping into the pi e ,H are thereby cont uct-. ed to the fan J W h by a'diusted'velocity aison aids in removing the gases and delivering the some to be utilized or discharged into the atmosphere.

Reterrm to this specification and the drawings, cla1mconduit for ore or ores and reducing agent or agents and Within the conduit a removable pipe for the escape and transmission of gases generated within pipe having through its sides a multiplicity of openings protected by hoods, as and for the purpose described.

2. In a plant of the character descrih id, a furnace having within its walls, and so arranged that it may be subjected to heat, a conduit for ore or ores and reducing agent or agents and Within the conduit a removable pipefor the escapeand transmission of gases, generated Within the conduit, the said pipe having through its sides a multiplicity of openings protected by hoods and being connected at its delivering end with an exhausting fan, as and for the purpose described.

3. ins plant of the character dGSCX'il-JBC iy a furnace having within its walls, and so arran ed that it. may be sub'ected to heat, a. con oil; for ore or ores an reducing agent the conduit, the said or agents, the interior of the conduit being connected by a multiplicity of openings with the interior of a pipe for the escape and transmission of gases generated Within the conduit, the said openings being protected by suitable hoods, and the said furnace being provided with a separate conduit for flux-- 

